Editor:
Im not saying Im old, but I attended third grade at Mesa Elementary when it was brand new. I attended junior high in the old Calkins building and then the first two years of high school in the building that now houses the middle school. There were so many kids that we had to take turns using the classrooms. Some of us had to be at school at 7 in the morning while other kids came later and stayed until 5. We were pretty happy when the community built us a new high school.
I think part of what makes a community a good place to live is when good people take their responsibilities seriously. That includes providing what the next generation needs to succeed. The people who agreed to put up their hard-earned cash didnt know me. What they knew was that someone before them built a school that met their needs and now it was their turn. Recently I was in the high school for the first time in 20 years. It isnt the new school I remembered. Its 45 years older, just like I am. In those 45 years a lot has changed. Our teachers are now trying to teach kids to do well in a 21st century world and theyre doing it in a building that can only prepare them for the world I lived in a world without domestic terrorism and a global connectivity we could never have dreamed of.
Today I remember those neighbors who provided me with a new school that met my needs. Im grateful to them. The past few years have hit me hard financially but the seasons have turned again. Now its my turn to build a new high school. No matter what our political leanings, education is the one thing weve always agreed on. I know that this country is only able to be the innovative world leader it is because we have always invested in our childrens education. The future is counting on me, and on you. Please vote yes on 3B.
Marcy Cummins
Cortez
Via email